Fighting Irish

Jim Roselle Receives Award From Notre Dame

January 30, 2013

WJTN's Jim Roselle may not have attended the University of Notre Dame, but one would be hard-pressed to find a bigger fan of the Fighting Irish.

In recognition of his loyalty to and support of the University of Notre Dame, Roselle was presented with a certificate of appreciation Tuesday.

Roselle, who joined WJTN in 1953, was awarded with the certificate of appreciation by the Notre Dame Alumni Association. The certificate, signed by Dolly Duffy, executive director of the alumni association, also included a Notre Dame pin.

Article Photos

Pictured is WJTN’s Jim Roselle as he is awarded with a certificate of appreciation from the University of Notre Dame by Anthony Barone, 1956 Notre Dame graduate and Lakewood historian. P-J photos by Dusten Rader

The award was presented to Roselle on-air by Anthony Barone, 1956 Notre Dame graduate and Lakewood historian. Roselle credits Barone for introducing him to the Notre Dame experience.

"One day Tony said to me, 'Would you like to go to a game?'" said Roselle. "So, along with some other wonderful people such as Joe Rizzo and Jim McElrath we all went to a weekend at Notre Dame - my first introduction to it. It's an unforgettable experience, to be not only at Notre Dame, but to be with these particular guys because we just had a ball."

According to Barone, being awarded with the certificate couldn't have happened to a nicer man.

"Jim has been a dedicated Notre Dame fan and has always plugged our university numerous times on his weekly radio program," said Barone. "Doing so, he has prompted many local students to look to Notre Dame in their future. With this unending dedication, he has earned a certificate of appreciation from the Notre Dame Alumni Association. At 84 years he is still going strong at WJTN, 9 a.m. to noon weekly. Jamestown is lucky to have this active son."

Some of the plugs that Barone refers to include interviews that Roselle held while attending Notre Dame games, which he played on-air during his program entitled "The Times of Your Life." Some of the interviews Roselle conducted are with the Rev. John Jenkins, current Notre Dame president, former executive vice president Fr. Bill Beauchamp, Notre Dame football great Justin Tuck, senior associate athletics director John Heisler, various leprechaun mascots, alumni and bookstore managers.

"I got involved by listening to broadcasts," said Roselle. "But, mainly it stems from the Knute Rockne story, which still is a great story today. It was so inspiring, you know, 'Win one for the Gipper.' That kind of loyalty, atmosphere and dedication inspires you to become a fan of Notre Dame."

After becoming a Notre Dame fan, Roselle would listen to games loyally, cheer for the team and read about the school. Roselle recalls that when he first began to follow Notre Dame the team was on a big win streak.

"As a young man I was caddying at Moon Brook, and I was on my way home when I thought I'd stop at the newsroom where they would post the football scores," said Roselle. "On the board was a final score that said Iowa 7 and Notre Dame 6, and I said to the guy, 'The game isn't over yet is it?' I was thinking Notre Dame can't lose. He said, 'Yes that's the final score.' The story behind that is that Iowa's Nile Kinnick kicked the extra point to win the game, and he didn't kick it like we see kickers today; no, he drop kicked it. And, if I'm not mistaken, the University of Iowa stadium is named after him today. To beat Notre Dame is a big story."

In addition to being awarded a certificate of appreciation from Notre Dame, Barone presented Roselle with a framed collection of photos detailing his Notre Dame adventures.

"It is probably an accumulation of five home games that we went to," said Roselle. "It's a collection of all of our experiences there. We've had fun with it."